Opinion Poll: BJP May Retain Power In UP, Uttarakhand, Goa & Manipur

New Delhi: The first opinion poll on next year’s assembly elections has predicted BJP victory in Uttar Pradesh and three other states.

According to the first round of ABP-CVoter survey, BJP could be winning Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur besides recapturing UP. In Punjab, there could be a hung House with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) just falling short of the halfway mark, according to the survey.

Assembly elections in these five states, which are due around February 2022, will be hugely significant ahead of the 2024 general elections in which several Opposition parties, including Congress, is looking to firm up a united front against ruling BJP.

In Yogi Adityanath-headed UP, the poll projects a comfortable win for the saffron party with 259 to 267 seats, while Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party may bag 109-117 seats. Mayawati’s BSP may be left with 12 to 16 seats, and Congress just 3-7.

The BJP is also predicted to retain power in Uttarakhand by winning 44-48 seats, while Congress is expected to bag 19-23 in the 70-member assembly.

As for Goa, BJP may win anywhere between 22 to 26 out of 40, while AAP (4-8) could replace Congress as the principal Opposition party.

In Punjab, the survey puts AAP (51-57 seats) as the biggest gainer due to the Captain Amarinder Singh-Navjyot Sidhu tussle. Congress’ tally could go down to about 38-46 seats, while Shiromani Akali Dal is likely to get about 16-24 seats.

The survey predicts BJP to be retaining Manipur with 32-36 seats, while Congress may bag 18-22 seats.